Methods and apparatus for LED lighting with heat spreading in illumination gaps

Abstract

Techniques for light emitting diode (LED) lighting with heat spreading in illumination gaps. Inexpensive structural aluminum may be suitably employed to form a passive heat spreading mount for plural LEDs whose illumination collectively combines to provide the light needed by a particular lighting fixture, such as a pendant chandelier, by way of example, by angling fins of the passive heat spreading mount to correspond to illumination gaps of the LEDs.

1. A heat spreading light emitting diode (LED) mounting arrangement comprising:
 a heat spreading base unit having plural flat mounting areas with each of said plural flat mounting areas having one or more associated angled heat sink fins; and 
 at least two LEDs mounted on at least two of the plural flat mounting areas, said at least two LEDs having a viewing angle so that in operation a substantial majority of emitted light from said at least two LEDs is within the viewing angle, wherein said one or more associated angled heat sink fins have an angle so that said angled heat sink fins are located in illumination gaps of said at least two LEDs, the angled heat sink fins providing heat dissipation for said LEDs mounted on said flat mounting areas, wherein in said illumination gaps the intensity of light emitted by said LEDs is less than 50% of the maximum intensity of light emitted thereby, and the angled heat sink fins are free of any active heat generating devices. 
 
     
     
       2. The heat spreading LED mounting arrangement of  claim 1  wherein the heat spreading base unit is formed of structural aluminum. 
     
     
       3. The heat spreading LED mounting arrangement of  claim 1  further comprising:
 an end cap unit supporting a further LED mounting arrangement thereon. 
 
     
     
       4. The heat spreading LED mounting arrangement of  claim 1  wherein said at least two LEDs are spaced along a length of said base unit. 
     
     
       5. The heat spreading LED mounting arrangement of  claim 1  wherein four LEDs are mounted about a central axis of the base unit and eight angled fins are angled at an angle γ of approximately 45° with respect to normals, N, to four flat mount areas on which the four LEDs are mounted. 
     
     
       6. The heat spreading LED mount of  claim 5  wherein the four LEDs in operation provide 360° illumination. 
     
     
       7. The heat spreading base unit of  claim 1  wherein portions of said base unit contacting said at least two LEDs have a conductivity of at least approximately 160° C./watt. 
     
     
       8. The heat spreading LED mounting arrangement of  claim 1  wherein said at least two LEDs have a viewing angle of 90°. 
     
     
       9. A heat spreading light emitting diode (LED) mounting arrangement comprising:
 a heat spreading base unit having plural flat mounting areas with each of said plural flat mounting areas having one or more associated angled fins; and 
 at least two LEDs mounted on at least two of the plural flat mounting areas, said at least two LEDs having a viewing angle so that in operation a substantial majority of emitted light from said at least two LEDs is within the viewing angle, wherein said one or more associated angled fins have an angle so that said fins are located in illumination gaps of said at least two LEDs, wherein said base unit comprises two T-shaped bars with their bases secured together. 
 
     
     
       10. The heat spreading base unit of  claim 9  wherein a layer of thermal gap material is clamped between said bases of the T-shaped bars. 
     
     
       11. A method of mounting light emitting diodes (LEDs) to avoid hot spots comprising:
 utilizing a heat spreading base unit having plural flat mounting areas with each of said plural flat mounting areas having one or more associated angled heat sink fins; and 
 mounting at least two LEDs on at least two of the plural flat mounting areas, said at least two LEDs having a viewing angle so that in operation a substantial majority of emitted light from said at least two LEDs is within the viewing angle, wherein said one or more associated angled heat sink fins have an angle so that said angled heat sink fins are located in illumination gaps of said at least two LEDs, the angled heat sink fins providing heat dissipation for said LEDs mounted on said flat mounting areas, wherein in said illumination gaps the intensity of light emitted by said LEDs is less than 50% of the maximum intensity of light emitted thereby and the angled heat sink fins are free of any active heat generating devices. 
 
     
     
       12. The method of  claim 11  further comprising:
 mounting an end cap unit supporting a further LED on an end of the base unit. 
 
     
     
       13. The method of  claim 11  further comprising:
 spacing the two LEDs along a length of said base unit. 
 
     
     
       14. The method of  claim 11  wherein four LEDs are mounted about a central axis of the base unit and eight angled fins are angled at an angle γ of approximately 45° with respect to normals, N, to four flat mount areas on which the four LEDs are mounted. 
     
     
       15. The method of  claim 11  wherein portions of said base unit contacting said at least two LEDs have a conductivity of at least approximately 160° C./watt. 
     
     
       16. The method of  claim 11  wherein said at least two LEDs have a viewing angle of 90°. 
     
     
       17. A method of mounting light emitting diodes (LEDs) to avoid hot spots comprising:
 utilizing a heat spreading base unit having plural flat mounting areas with each of said plural flat mounting areas having one or more associated angled fins; 
 mounting at least two LEDs on at least two of the plural flat mounting areas, said at least two LEDs having a viewing angle so that in operation a substantial majority of emitted light from said at least two LEDs is within the viewing angle, wherein said one or more associated angled fins have an angle so that said fins are located in illumination gaps of said at least two LEDs; and 
 forming said base unit from two T-shaped bars with their bases secured together. 
 
     
     
       18. The method of  claim 17  wherein a layer of thermal gap material is clamped between said bases of the T-shaped bars.